Author's Note: As usual there is trouble of some sort in Hazzard, and this sort of trouble has Bo in the middle of it. See, it goes like this, while some folks know who Bo is, others think he is someone entirely different...the trouble is, Bo is one of them.
This is based on the episode My Son Bo Hogg, and follows some time after it.
Big thanks to Anakin's Girl 4eva for beta work.
Warning: The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen.
Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….
I Know Who I Am, I Think
Chapter 1: There has to be a name tag….
He sat up with a groan and touched one hand to his aching head. It really felt like the morning after the night before, but judging by the glare of the sun, it was far from morning. All he really wanted to do was lie down and go back to sleep until his head stopped hurting.
Still he struggled to the feet, and nearly fell right back down again. His head was spinning so badly that his knees buckled, and he had trouble keeping his balance. The movements made him jar his head, and it was none too pleasant, so he sank back down on the ground again. It helped a bit, it didn't stop the spinning, but since he was sitting he couldn't fall down.
Then his stomach protested against him moving, and he found himself pitching forward while his last meal broke an escape. The fierce pain that stabbed through his brain from retching had him whimpering, and he nearly fell unconscious once again.
Knowing he wouldn't be able to do anything at all in his current condition he lay down on the soft ground. He tried to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun as he waited for the headache to subside.
The next time he woke up it was late in the afternoon, and at least his head didn't hurt as much anymore, it was still bad, but bearable. He knew he was in trouble; he was out all alone, not having a clue where he was and was hurt bad to boot. He had best get himself on his way home, so he started walking through the forest.
There was the steep slope, and it was just too easy too see where he had fallen, dragging small rocks, loose gravel and even some small shrubbery with him on the way down. He didn't feel up to trying to get back up that same way, so he opted for going around it.
When he finally got back to the road he was panting for breath, walking back would be more than he could manage, so he knew he had to hope for a car he could get a ride with. While he waited, it seemed the best thing he could do was to sit down and try to catch his breath and try and figure out a way to get home if no one came along.
He was just regaining his breath when a car came, so he stood up to make it clear that he would appreciate a ride. It seemed to work, for the car stopped.
"Want a ride son?" The man asked through the rolled down the window.
"Yes, sir, that would be great." He smiled as he opened the passenger side door and slipped inside. "Thank you, sir." He said gratefully.
"No problem son, I'm Charlie, what's ya name and where's ya going?"
"Well, I guess I'm just going down the road." He shrugged.
The man nodded. "Uhu, and what did ya say ya name was?"
He opened his mouth to tell him, but nothing came out. It was odd, so he tried again with the same result.
"Look here sonny, if you ain't gonna tell me yer name, I'm minded to drop you off and let ya walk."
It wasn't that he wanted to be mean, but you had to be a bit careful with whom you picked up and someone who wouldn't tell his name could only be trouble.
"Look sir, it ain't that I don't want to, it's just that well…" he broke of trying to figure out how to explain it. Before he could the man had slowed down to a stop.
"Okay kid, I'm sorry, but ya gonna have to walk from here."
"Look sir, listen now," He tried, starting to sound agitated against his will. It was just that something seemed to be wrong here, very wrong.
"No son." The man shook his head. "Sorry, ya might be an alright kid, but I ain't taking the chance."
There was nothing he could do, so he sighed and got out of the car, watching as it disappeared in a cloud of dust, one that made him cough harshly. There was no trick to disappearing in a cloud of dust on a dirt road.
He kicked angrily at a pebble. How did you make a guy see that you didn't tell ya name 'cause ya couldn't seem to figure it out? It was so stupid and scary at the same time, but he just didn't seem able to. In fact, he couldn't recall what he had been doing before he found himself at the bottom of that damn slope.
He stopped and it felt as if he broke out in cold sweat as that thought hit home, what was going on? Once more he was forced to sit down, this time because he felt lightheaded with fear and panic. Taking deep breaths he tried to force himself to calm down. He had to know who he was, everyone knew that, 'cept him at the moment or so it seemed.
He regained the efforts to try and calm himself down. He had a wallet, there had to be an ID in there. Feeling the first rush of relief he reached after the wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. It wasn't there. This time the rush of panic was even harder to fight back as he pawed over all his pockets, had he ever worn one? He would have, the pocket was a bit worn, it just wasn't there right now.
So if he didn't have a wallet, then what did he have? He almost laughed as he came up with the answer. He was wearing clothes; maybe there was a nametag in them. Grinning with relief he pulled off the pale yellow shirt and looked in it, there was no nametag there. He pulled of the blue t-shirt as well, but there wasn't any nametag there either. Swallowing he pulled off his boots and looked inside them, but there was no name in the leather. Struggling against the panic that arose again he stood and started pawing at his belt buckle and the fastening of his jeans.
Pulling the jeans down a few inches he twisted his head to the side to try and look in the back where the name would be. He couldn't quite see so he tried to pull the lining of the jeans out further and pull it towards him even as he tried to twist himself further as well; oblivious to the fact that he was standing on a dirt road, in his stockinged feet and spinning in a circle as he tried to peer down into the back of his jeans.
There was no name there though; he sank down again, feeling dejected as there was no name to be found in his clothes. Why wasn't there any name to be found anywhere in his clothes? That just wasn't fair. With a sigh he started to button up his jeans again, but his hand never got there. On his right wrist there was a metal bracelet, maybe an inch and a half wide at the widest. He thought that it was just a bit too elaborate, but still kinda tasteful, with the blue stone set in the middle of it. Right now he didn't care though; he was struggling with the fastening still hoping to find a name somewhere.
As he got it off he studied it and could have whooped with joy if that wouldn't have made his head hurt so bad. He tried whooping, but the piercing throb made him stop short of a full holler.
There was an inscription there, 'Happy Birthday Bo,' that meant he was Bo, it had to mean that he was Bo. At least it was safe to assume as there would have been a nametag saying the same thing in his shirt.
He ran his finger over the inscription before he slipped the bracelet on again, running his other hand over it a few times. Right now, that bracelet was all he had to let him know who he was.
Running his hand over it again he started tucking in his shirt and buttoning up his jeans. Looking up and down the road and wondering what he should do, he shook his head. That was when he saw the sign by the side of the road. A big sign with a fat man who was holding a cigar, and wearing the silliest grin ever painted on it.
He smiled as he read what it said on it, 'Commissioner Hogg says; drive carefully.' He wondered if anyone ever paid any heed to those signs, and as he laid his hand over the bracelet. He wished that the sign could give him another clue as to who he was.
"But ya ain't likely to tell me anything." He said remorsefully as he looked up at the sign again. "Signs don't really say anything when you come right down to it, right daddy." Then he took a step back as he realized what he had said. He had called the fat man on the sign daddy, why?
Because there at the back of his head he could just make out that fat man calling him son. They were standing in a room that he couldn't quite recall, and the fat man was calling him 'sonny boy,' while he called him daddy. He even forgot his earlier discovery and whopped with joy as he realized he could remember that bit. It was enough to go by at the moment.
It was enough to make him start trotting down the road. Not really caring what made him pick one direction rather then the other, in truth; he never even once cared what direction he picked. He was trying to figure out more about his daddy.
He supposed it was his daddy who had given him the bracelet, and he sure was grateful to him for having had his name inscribed in it.
Finally there was a building there, one with some number of cars outside it.
"Boars nest." He read out loud from the sign. "Bet my daddy's here." He thought he had a vague recollection of the place, he thought he had been there with his daddy. He touched the aching spot on his head and massaged it with his fingertips. "My daddy was here, and he said this was like home to me." He muttered as he tried to recall it. "Boy, he ain't gonna be too happy when I tell him this."
There were two men standing near the side of the building, but as Bo came up to it he paid them little heed.
"Well, at least I know I'm Bo Hogg."
It had an odd ring to it, but familiar at the same time. He guessed it was just the sound of those two names together that sounded odd.
"Sure hope daddy's here though, or I don't know what to do."
His thoughts turned glum as he realized he was only too right. If his daddy wasn't here, he had no idea of what he should do.
"Hey, hold up a second there boy."
One of the men suddenly called to him, and for the first time Bo looked at them.
"What can I do for ya?" He asked, they didn't look like the nicest guys, unshaven and their clothes weren't very clean. Still, after having been dumped at the side of the road he wasn't about to turn anyone down because of their appearance.
"Did ya say ya name was Hogg, boy?" One of them asked. He had dark greasy hair and an unbuttoned shirt that hung loosely from his jeans.
"Yeah." Bo nodded. "Bo Hogg."
"And your 'daddy's' Boss Hogg?" The man asked again.
It sounded familiar enough for him to nod again. "Yeah, I'm looking for him right now; I really need to find him. Do ya know if he's inside?"
The man grinned and shook his head. "No, he ain't inside there boy, in fact, he asked us two here to take ya to him when ya showed up. How about we go now?"
The other man gave his partner a confused look as he pushed oily black locks away from his forehead, but Bo didn't notice. He was too relieved that someone would take him to his daddy. "That'd be great." He grinned.
"Come here then boy." The man grinned as he led him towards an old beat up van that looked as if it was barely holding together.
"Where is daddy?" Bo asked as they walked to the van.
"We'll explain on the way." The man grinned and patted his shoulder.
Bo climbed in and sat in the front seat between the two men. He was about to ask as the second man spoke up for the first time.
"Now, Bruce, what's going on here?" He demanded. "I thought we were gonna go after Hogg?"
"We are," Bruce grinned as he gave Bo a look that made him feel really uneasy. "But going in there and taking his money wouldn't have hurt him near as much as taking his son."
"Now, how do y'all figure that. I'm not sure that taking Boss' son would hurt him more than taking his money, even if he did have a son, and we know he don't. But they don't know that. And that means that someone is in trouble, and I'm pretty sure that I know who that one is."
TBC
Thank you all for reading, I'll do my very best to reply to all signed reviews, Elenhin